Publised in Montecristo Magazine and Frontline
On photo: Asti, a helper from the Melolo weaving house.
Located in severely climate-sensitive regions of Indonesia and considered an ecological forefront for desertification, Sumba constitutes a fragile ecosystem whose heart beats to the rhythm of three things: the abundance of water for crops, animals and people, the upholding of their millenia old textile-making tradition, and the carrying of their ancient Marapu belief. Their textiles, recounting millenia-old narratives deeply mirror the island's arid climate and are an extension and symbol of the island’s wellbeing. Each fabric, purely made out of the island's natural elements, from the cotton, to the herbs, and the woods used for dye, reflect the health and challenging environmental conditions of the island, necessitating resourcefulness and sustainability from its people.
Climate change and covid-19 had severely impacted the island’s livelihood, causing irreparable loss of harvests and unprecedented economical strain. Indeed, as harvests dwindled, the local population needed to compensate somehow — Usually, during rainy season, local sumbanese people would go to the fields to work, and in the dryer season would stay at home weaving their tenun ikat (woven textile) to later on sell at the markets or keep at heirlooms, but with a warming climate came about shorter rainy seasons, thereby affecting the growth of cereals and sustenance for their animals. The eastern part of Sumba was always affected by the issue of water scarcity, living on a constant brink of the manifestation of droughts, but for the past 10 years, this balance slowly but surely dwindled resulting in a decrease in agricultural and livestock activities and the displacement of their populations out of the island.
In 2020, in efforts from the local government and the population to offset the increasing effects of water scarcity, they decided to focus their efforts on the production and export of their traditional textile, whose making process takes full advantage of the eastern part’s arid climate. Traditionally, only women of an advanced age were allowed to weave, and manipulate the elements of the island to make the fabric. But, following this resurgence and the subsequent democratization of the textile, young women and men are now allowed to weave, partaking in the tradition and putting their own stories and essence into it, intertwining ancient Marapu belief through contemporary creativity.
All these hopes of exporting this ancient textile coalesced into the east Sumbanese community of Melolo, a small cradle of peace situated in a shy but arid valley located inland close to the coast. Empowering weavers in a network that allows them to export their craft abroad and make the community thrive.
The people of the island turned this revival into a dynamic pursuit coming as an opportunity to export traditions and stimulate Sumba’s own growth as its number one cultural export. Be it across Europe, Asia or North America, the textile, once confined to tradition, now serves as a medium of togetherness to share Sumba's cultural narrative globally, as well as support local communities aiming to offset the impact of ever diminishing harvests. Threads woven with age-old techniques now carry not only the weight of tradition but also the promise of a warm future, as the youth weave narratives that bridge the gap between past and present.